


Order of the Rising Sun Event

by forget_me_nots



Category: Flight Rising
Genre: Angst, Mind Manipulation, Mind Reading, Prompt Fill, changes of heart, mild family drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-04 17:37:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 7,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15152276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forget_me_nots/pseuds/forget_me_nots
Summary: This is mostly so i can just come back and find some of the lore stuff I wrote out a few months ago in a prompt thread. It mostly follows one of my dragons (Dausris) coming to the realization that he needs to work on himself and be a better person. There are a few unrelated stories but it's mostly centering on Dausris and the family of the leader.





	1. Summons

**Author's Note:**

> Dausris is an interesting character to write.

A pale mirror in ceremonial armor approached Dausris. The spiral fidgeted with his silks and crown, wishing that he could slip into the other dragon's mind. But Itura hadn't asked him to. Itura didn't need to know anything about this dragon.

"The Leader's asked for your presence," The mirror said, and Dausris's heart soared.

Itura wanted to see him! It had been so long since she'd asked to see him! Maybe he would get to travel again! Oh, what sort of interesting place would he get to go visit? Or maybe she had a gift for him. Dausris remembered the last gift Itura had given him, a pretty geode full of pale blue crystals. Maybe she would give him more silks. Or a necklace! The last time the two had talked, Dausris had gone on quite a bit about how much he wanted a cerdae necklace. Or five. Not to wear, but to hang in his room. He liked cerdae.

What if Itura had gotten him a Cerdae familiar?

Dausris wiggled with excitement as he followed the mirror to the audience hall. He was nearly tying himself in knots with excitement by the time he reached the entrance, but as soon as he stepped inside, the horror of realization dawned on him.

It wasn't his Itura who sat on the spire. It was her daughter, Incindia.

The spiral drooped, and slunk forwards. He'd forgotten. Itura wasn't the leader anymore. Incindia was.

The dark mirror jumped gracefully down from the spire and approached Dausris. He could see their resemblance, yes. Incindia was smaller, but the way she carried herself... the curve of her powerful jaw, the way her tail swept behind her, not touching the ground... it was the same as her mother. The same as Dausris's Itura.

"Dausris," she said, dipping her head respectfully to him.

Dausris lowered his head in return, and did not lift it.

"Thank you so much for coming. I need your help."

At that, he lifted his head.

Incindia? Need his help?

The mirror in question sat, shifting her weight slightly as if uncomfortable.

"You see, I need someone to help teach my brother how to be an ambassador. It's nothing personal, but I don't think I can have someone who was so close to... to my mother be the representative of our clan. You were good at being an ambassador, so that's why I'd like you to be the one to teach Iapetus."

Dausris fidgeted. Would Itura be mad if he slipped into her daughter's head? She seemed genuine enough, but he... he liked his position as ambassador. Surely just... giving her a small little mental nudge to help him keep his position wouldn't be too bad, would it? Maybe he could make it so that both he and Iapetus could be ambassadors. He knew in the past that there were two ambassadors for the clan, Lucente and Tourmaline. Sure it was because they were mates but...

An idea struck Dausris. Maybe he didn't have to change Incindia's mind. She was suspicious of him. But Iapetus... that young mirror knew absolutely nothing. He'd never met Dausris, only heard of him. And perhaps meeting Dausris might possibly change any preconceptions he had about the mind-reading spiral... Yes. That could work.

Dausris nodded.

"Of course I can teach him," Dausris said, and Incindia seemed to relax. She must have expected him to protest, or something.

"Thank you. I'll be sure to compensate you for your time," she said. "I'll summon you again when I've talked it over with Iapetus, and we can set up times."

Dausris smiled.

"I can't wait."


	2. Forged

The next day, the pale, armored mirror returned. This time, Dausris had no miss-guided notions as to who the mirror was to bring him to see.

"The leader-" he began, but Dausris cut him off.

"Wants to see me, yes. I am aware. I can find her myself, thank you thank you," Dausris chattered, nodding vigorously. The crystaline spiral shot down the hallway like an arrow, leaving the armored mirror behind, looking confused. He could hardly wait to go and meet Iapetus.

The two children of Itura were waiting for him in the audience room. Iapetus resembled his mother much more than Incindia did, his paler, muted brown-blue colors bearing much more of a resemblance than his sister. However, unlike his mother and sister, Iapetus had no presence, he shrunk under his silks and crown of bones, cowering in his sister's shadow. Although the two were roughly the same size, because of posture, Iapetus appeared much smaller.

"Ah, Dausris. Thank you for coming," Incindia said. "This is my brother, Iapetus."

She nodded at her brother, who looked as if he wanted to shrink into the floor.

Dausris gave the trembling mirror a kind smile, and reached out with his mind. The ice grounded him, walled him in, but... it was not a prison. It allowed him focus, allowed him to not indiscriminately fling his powers about willy-nilly and see into the minds of all around him. It was like a magnifying glass, and now he turned it to Iapetus.

_What you feel is not so much fear. Do not be so much afraid. Turn fear to butterflies in your stomach. Need me like I needed Itura._  
Dausris commands, but it is gentler than a command. More like a gentle suggestion. Enough to push a bit of trust into the whirling, fearful mind that he's peering into. Enough to get Iapetus to shuffle his wings and dip his head respectfully, the greeting of one equal to another. It would take a bit more... persuasion to get the proper attachment needed. But Dausris was now this mirror's teacher. He'd have the time.

Incindia gave her brother a little shove.

"Go on, you two. Head to the library, or something. Mornings are best for Iapetus, so how about you two go and get to know each other," Incindia said.

Dausris smiled again.

"Of course. I'm so excited to begin," he said, then beckoned to Iapetus. The mirror slunk after him silently, glancing back at his sister as he departed.

 

"Alright, let's start by getting to know each other!" Dausris said, sinking into his Ambassador personality: peppy, excited, and charming. Disarming.

Iapetus shuffed his claws on the floor. The two had claimed a nice spot up at the tea shop in the Market at the open caldera. When the mirror didn't look likely to say anything, Dausris reached out and gave him a soft mental nudge. Nothing too noticeable. He was good at this, good at making other dragons trust him, after his cycles of being ambassador.

"Well. I'm Iapetus. Itura's son. But you already knew that. You were... her pet ambassador, weren't you?" Iapetus said finally, and Dausris felt a sudden surge of jealousy from him.

_Itura hated hated hated me because I was me because I was male because I wasn't what she wanted what she needed because I wasn't an heir because I couldn't be an heir I'm not good enough I'm not enough..._

It took a lot for Dausris to not let his expression soften to one of pity and understanding. Perhaps a mate wasn't what Iapetus needed. The mirror need a friend. Someone who understood him. Someone who wanted him for who and what he was.

"I suppose I was," Dausris said. He ran a claw over a line in the table, deepening the scratch.

"She liked you," Iapetus said bitterly. "Why did she like you?"

"Because she could use me," Dausris said, because he had seen it so many times in her mind. She couldn't lie to him, wouldn't lie to him. He'd seen her mind so many times that it was as familiar as his own.

Iapetus blinked at Dausris, surprised at the answer.

"And you just... let her?" He asked.

"She rewarded me. She trusted me. Sometimes it's nice to have a dragon trust you like that... Anyways, what sort of things do you like to do?"

 

So Dausris began the process of peeling away Iapetus's protective barriers. Each day they met, and Dausris taught the mirror how to appear more confidant than he was. How to put on a brave face, a tough front, or to be pliant, sweet and charming. How to manipulate other dragons into giving up information, all while working the same game he was teaching, at the same time. If Iapetus noticed, he didn't say anything about it.

Soon, Dausris would have the younger Mirror wrapped around his claw like Itura once had him. Dausris could keep his position, and all he'd have to do was listen to the son of Itura's fears and worries to keep it. Iapetus trusted him. And Incindia trusted her brother.

_Would you approve, Itura?_


	3. Call to Arms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I sprinkled in some ursegal bc it amazes me and uhhhh i wanna. Any errors are because languages are not my strong suit. I did my best.

Kuningas stood outside Imeria's room, expression blank, and he didn't even recognize Incindia when she walked up to him.

"I'm here to see Imeria," Incindia said.

The pearlcatcher blinked slowly, before silently stepping aside.

 

Imeria's room was dark and humid inside. Moss grew on every surface, moss that lit up when brushed against. The luminous moss was the only source of light in the room, and so Imeria was easy to spot.

Lit from underneath by the luminous moss, Imeria lay upon a short, protruding ledge, her eyes closed.

Incindia cleared her throat, and Imeria raised her head regally. Incindia was struck with the realization of how similar Imeria looked to Itura.

"Imeria-soren," Incindia said, lowering herself into a respectful bow, until she could feel the mossy floor on her chest.

"Kav kirop aivaslulet, kibappik gat ravasbappik." Imeria rasped. _Do not lower your body, child of my child._

"I am at a loss, Imeria-soren. Our clan must fight, our fiery mother commands it. How can I possibly lead them?" Incindia said.

Imeria's emblem pulsed, it's dark light casting violet across the room.

"Kidasur isten? Som Istafallot? Kav kidasur subris?" _Firey mother? The Flamecaller? Not shadowed mother?_

Incindia cowered, bowing again. She had forgotten her the instability of her grandmother.

"We need any fighter we can get, we need your skill. We need you to train our exaltees," She begged. The aura Imeria was putting off was terrifying.

"Kav kirop aivaslulet, kibappik gat ravasbappik. Habarmuran ravas kitsezul. Kirott Som Isafallot ut Som Briskabak." _Do not lower your body, child of my child. I will train my clanmates. For Flamecaller or Shadowbinder._

Imeria stood, her limbs cracking as she stretched, displaying her age.

Incindia sighed with relief.

"Thank you, Imeria-soren. I will send Glacura to take you to your trainees shortly."


	4. Sunrise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arema... technically counts as a part of the Leading family. He'd adopted, but as Imeria sees him as a son, he counts. He's sort of like an uncle to Incindia and Iapetus.

Sunrises are spectacular in the Ashfall Wastes, when the sky's clear enough for them. All the ash in the air makes it look like the horizon itself is burning. It's a beautiful sight, and Arema drinks it in. He basks in the warming rays, spreading his wings to cast a shadow much larger than he should be able to. He wants every drop of sunlight he can get, wants to absorb as much heat as he can. He's stripped off his armor, to bare his hide to the sun.

How wrong of him is it, to desire such heat, such light? Its not like he ever knew the Tangled Wood. Although his eyes are the deep violet of all the followers of the Shadowbinder, the shadowed mother, darkest of the eleven, he hatched here, in the Ashfall Wastes. His egg had been abandoned, and the clan had claimed it during their exodus. All the other shadow dragons in the clan hated the sun, only ever emerging at night or when the sky was so choked with ash and clouds that it was nearly as dark. They missed the old clan's lair, missed the tangled wood.

But how could Arema miss what he never knew? He knew so little about the Shadow flight. He could hardly go up to another shadow dragon and ask, they'd laugh at him. He was a shadow dragon himself.

But was he, really?

Times like this, when the sky was clear enough for a burning sunrise, Arema doubted.

Did he belong here? Or did he belong farther north, across the sea, in the Tangled Wood. If the clan went back to their place of origin, would he fit in? Would he feel, suddenly, like he'd found his place in the world? Would he find himself there?

Or would he feel even more confused and alone? Would he miss the sun?

The mirror gave himself one more moment of self-pity and confusion and sun, before putting his armor back on. Physically and mentally as well. He did not have time for such thoughts during the day. The sunrise was fading, the day had to begin now.


	5. Unusual Request

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Incindia has a conversation with her actual uncle, Fell. If I ever actually get around to writing more of my lore, Fell's going to be fun to write more of.

Incindia didn't know her uncle that well. The ragged-winged fae was hard to be around. His magic leaked into the air around him, and, being a shadow dragon, made it nearly painful for Incindia to be too close. Perhaps it was intentional.

She knew he had a... suitor. A dragon intent on wooing him, but her uncle seemed resolute in his solitude. Perhaps the leaking of his magic was intentional.  
Either way, as soon as the young mirror stepped into her uncle's rooms, she could feel the oppressive ache of his magic. All the shadows in the room were darker and larger than they should be. Paired with the many dried and drying herbs and fungi hanging in bundles from the ceiling and stashed in carved-out cubbies on the wall, the room was full of elements that messed with Incindia's senses. It was hard to see, hard to smell.

Before she could shy away, she cleared her throat.

"Fell?" She called.

There was a faint shuffling noise, and a few moments later, the fae appeared. His face was hidden by the cowl of his cloak, a cloak that was just as tattered and distressed as his wings. The holes and rips in his wings dripped a dark fluid that Incindia wasn't sure was blood or the odd ooze that Shadow dragons tended to secrete when put under enough stress. Perhaps it was a mix of both...

"Ah. Incindia," he said. "Is something troubling you?"

"Somewhat. I... I have a bit of an odd request," She said.

If he was confused or concerned, it didn't show. Fell had never been particularly emotive.

"Well, why don't we sit down and have some tea? I don't think I have anything you'd be interested in by way of snacks, but I have some cinnamon tea that you may enjoy," he offered.

Incindia nodded, and he lead her deeper into his rooms, out of the one that he used for treating patients, and into his private chambers. A low ledge in the corner hosted a nest of furs and blankets, his bed, but it seemed to have been added as almost an afterthought. The rest of the room was dedicated to numerous scroll racks and a table covered in papers, more herbs, and various scales and measuring tools. There was a window that opened to the ashy sky, but it was large enough that Fell could probably use it as a door. Under it was a low counter and hearth. The cubbies here were filled with clay jars that Incindia suspected either held more herbs, or insects for Fell to snack on.

The fae was currently poking at his smoldering fire. Incindia felt too large. All the furniture in the room was designed for much smaller dragons in mind.

"I can get that going for you, if you'd like," She offered. Fell made a soft noise of approval, and moved to rummage through his cubbies, searching for something.

Incindia breathed a short burst of flames into the cinders, and soon Fell joined her at the low table, holding a steaming teapot and two mugs. Incindia was struck with the feeling of being in the nursery again, but suppressed it.

"So. What is this odd request you have for me?" He asked.

"Can you tell me more about... about what my mother did? I can't think of anyone else to ask who would take it well," Incindia asked.

Fell stared at her blankly. The shadows of the room deepened, and Incindia felt like a cold snake had wound around her heart with the intention of crushing it. Obviously, Fell was taking the question just as well as everyone else she'd asked.

"I'm sorry if I've upset you, Fell-gozen, I just... I don't know what she's done and I don't know how to fix what she's done if I don't even know-"

Fell cut her off by pushing back the hood of his cloak, revealing his scarred face. More of the shadow-ooze dripped from scars around his eyes.

"You want to know what Itura has done? You may be here a while," His voice shook, showing the most emotion she'd seen from the fae. "She was the perfect mirror, and my sister Nova, the prefect fae. I was the runt. Not much of anything, not even worthy enough of a name. My own mother thought I would die before the end of the cycle. Itura never let me forget that. She's the reason I can't fly,"

The snake around Incindia's heart tightened, and Fell shakily poured himself a cup of tea.

"She has only grown crueler since."


	6. Treasured

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to our boi Dausris

Dausris stares at himself in the mirror. Everything has been going well. Iapetus trusts him, and the younger mirror can hardly seem to leave him alone now that he's opened up to Dausris.

The spiral runs his claws over the ice crown, cold on his forehead scales, and stares at how the light catches both the ice and his scales. He's pretty. He knows it.

Itura told him so many times how pretty he was. Itura told him he was a treasure, that he shouldn't be hidden away because of his powers if he's so pretty.

Iapetus is no treasure. His hide is blotchy brown and ivory and blue-green-grey. His eyes don't match his scales and he's unfortunate in almost any conceivable way, beauty wise. Dausris wouldn't go as far as to call him ugly, but... he's not good looking. He can see why Itura didn't see much in the younger dragon.

As soon as Dausris thinks that, though, he instantly feel bad, and it's startling. He doesn't ~~or was that didn't?~~ care about Iapetus. Iapetus was just... means to an end. To stay useful. To be wanted. Iapetus is ~~was~~ nothing to him.

Dausris growls in frustration and rakes his claws down the wall on either side of the mirror. It doesn't do much but leave paler lines scored onto the stone that can easily be wiped away. The rock here is hard.

Iapetus sees Dausris as a friend, but that's a one sided thing, right? Dausris isn't that desperate to be wanted!

A sick feeling settled into his stomach, one the glimmering spiral had never felt in himself before.

Guilt.

Dausris feels guilty. He feels bad about using Iapetus, about using the younger dragons' deep need for friendship, for his own selfish and twisted means.

Would Itura feel like this? Itura never felt bad about using other dragons. It was what she did best! Itura used dragons all the time, Tidelord help him, she used him. He let her use him. He enjoyed it because it meant he was valuable, that she didn't just dump him after he'd served his purpose only once. He was valuable, if only to her.

Did Iapetus feel that way about him? Did Dausris make Iapetus feel treasured?

The spiral moaned wordlessly, and clawed at the wall again.

He had done so much wrong in his life. Was it too late to try and fix it?


	7. Dirge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minor sidetrack to play with Bounty of the Elements lore and my clan Priest/Oracle. More Ursegal because I'm extra like that.

Neried paced the temple like a caged warcat, her sprite following after her, equally anxious. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. The Tidelord, the most mysterious of the eleven, father of prophecy, should be ascendant. Neried's powers should be struggling against the icy collar on her throat, pulling her gaze to the future. But she felt nothing.

As did her sprite.

Something had happened. Something truly terrible, if it was interfering with Neried's powers of prophecy.

She stopped her pacing before the alter of the Tidelord. Twitching her antennae, the blue skydancer felt for any hint of magical energy. She could feel the blistering energies of the Flamecaller, overpowering and near-blinding. It was to be expected, as the Flamecaller, fieriest of the eleven, was the reigning god here. Neried could also faintly feel the steady, old energy of the Earthshaker, and the joyous, free energy of the Windsinger. Again, understandable, as their alters sat on either side of the Tidelords.

But from the alter before her? The artful statue and mosaics and offerings and and everything she felt nothing. It was as if the god had simply ceased to exist.

Had he abandoned her? What had she done wrong? What of her actions could have angered him?

Neried let out a mournful keen, and lowered herself before the alter.

"Som Runicesar, ran kipeom nefene! Jaeu sumenkuran tovit ainen?"

_Tidelord, I beg you to return! How have I angered you?_

There was no answer. No return of energy, nothing.

It had been like this for days. She would pace and pace and then call to her patron god, and get no response. She made sacrifices, burned the finest incense she dared burn outside of festivals, sang and prayed until her voice was ragged, but nothing worked.

The god would not return.

In anguish, the skydancer collapsed to the floor before the alter, crying.

"Please, what have I done wrong?" She rasped.

Her sprite silently fluttered over and ran it's small hand across her cheek, wiping away the tears.

"What can I do for you to return?"


	8. Naked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Tidelord Gone angst, this time from Dausris, my only other water dragon. Back to the main dragons, with this one.

Dausris was avoiding him. Iapetus had waited and waited at their usual meeting place up in the Caldera's market, but the spiral hadn't come. And when the mirror had paid a visit to his rooms, and knocked on the door, there had been no response.

Putting some of his training to use, Iapetus asked around, and while others had seen the odd spiral out and about occasionally, Iapetus did not.

And it hurt. The young mirror thought that the two of them had been friends. Dausris was nice, not at all like what Iapetus had expected from a dragon who had so blindly followed his mother. He'd disliked Dausris at first, but the spiral had grown on him. And now he was gone.

Iapetus did his best to suck it up and act like nothing was wrong. After all, he'd grown up being ignored and avoided. He was used to it.

He should have expected Dausris to pull something like that. After all, it was Itura who had ignored him his whole life, and Dausris was Itura's... whatever he was. If Dausris didn't want him, then, well Iapetus didn't want Dausris.

Dausris did a very good job of avoiding Iapetus for a week, until the two ran into each other again.

The odd spiral stood, still as stone before the alter to the Tidelord, eyes wide, crown of ice held in his claws. His mouth moved, but no sound came out.

He looked odd without the crown, Iapetus thought. It was tempting to approach him, but the more Iapetus watched, the more he thought it would be a bad idea. The longer the spiral stood there, the more distraught he looked. His claws trembled, and his expression fell. His thin sides began to heave, and he suddenly let out a mournful-keening cry, then began to babble.

He spoke so fast, Iapetus couldn't catch what he was saying.

The spiral looked so... vulnerable and exposed, cowering before the alter of the Tidelord. Iapetus felt like he was watching something he shouldn't be, like he had walked in on a confession. Whatever was going on, it had stripped Dausris down to something the spiral clearly didn't want others to see.

Dausris cut off to a wail, and Neried finally approached him, and laid a gentle claw on his trembling shoulder, and whispered something quietly to him. He looked up at her, and nodded. He looked broken, he looked like a hatchling that had fallen and hurt itself. Neried guided the distraught spiral out of the temple, and into her own rooms. Iapetus turned and left.

He needed to think for a while about what he'd seen. Perhaps there was something else going on.


	9. Eternity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shira, the necromancer. She's an old character of mine, but now she lives in the FR universe as the Clan Weirdo.

All dragons fear death. Shira is no different, she of course fears the eternity that awaits her at the end of her life.

In her more pensive times, Shira considers eternity. Shira isn't always pensive. Mostly, she's impulsive, childish, and annoying. Her title of "Shit-disturber" is well earned.

However, some afternoons, she sits up above the Caldera Market, and thinks. Recently, it's been about Eternity.

She's successfully thwarted death once. She thinks. Perhaps more than once. She brought Firewyrm back from the dead, resurrected the skydancer, made her live again. And then there's the skeleton that was just beyond the borders of her hatch-clan.

Shira thinks about that skeleton a lot. It always drew her. It was odd. Broken wings, broken limbs, as if the dragon that left it behind had crashed. And Shira was never able to identify it. Even now, when she thinks back and compares the shape of it's skull, the form of the broken wings, the length of it's limbs, she can't find a proper match to any of the dragons she's met.

Even if she couldn't identify it, she always felt it was very familiar. She wants to think that it was her, once, but she knows that's not possible.

But if it was, then it means she's thwarted death, avoided eternity, once before already.

If she fashioned herself a similar pair of cuffs that Firewyrm wears, perhaps she could thwart eternity again. Firewyrm was an experiment, a test. To see if she could bring back the dead properly. What would happen if she went back to her hatch-clan and searched for the skeleton, and revived it. If it was her, or a previous version of her of some sort, would she die? Or if it wasn't could she bring back a skeleton to proper life as she did with Firewyrm?

Would the gods strike her down for meddling too much? Could she bring herself back if she was killed?

There are eventually too many questions filling her head, so Shira snaps her wings open, and soars into the sky. She has plenty of time to think on those questions. She doesn't plan on dying or reviving anyone else any time soon.


	10. Parade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *I wanna get better by the bleachers plays*

The lack of presence at the Tidelord's alter was disturbing, it felt like... it felt like punishment.

As if this was his punishment for being a horrible dragon. It was too late for him to repent for all the crimes he had committed.

Without his crown, Dausris could hear the thoughts of the other dragons in the temple. He was making a scene. He'd come to the temple to confess his crimes to the Tidelord, to be freed of his sins and washed clean, to be reassured that he could repair the damage he had done between him and others. So of course, he'd taken off his crown, to bare his mind to the gods.

And now, he could hear the thoughts of others, marching through his mind. A parade of judgement, of disgust and hate and annoyance.

_Who's hatchling? What sort of dragon-child? What does he thing he's doing? What is wrong with him? What is he doing? I can't believe they'd let a dragon like him in here.  
Why doesn't somebody escort him out? What a nuisance. How dare Itura's pet be let in here with the rest of us? Why is he crying?_

It only made Dausris break down further. They were all right, they were all right, he was a horrible dragon.

He bowed before the empty-feeling alter and tried to stop the shuddering sobs building in his chest.

Then, the a paw was laid on his shoulder, and his mind was filled with softer, melancholy thoughts.

_Oceanbrother. He must know. Bring him to the pool. The water will help him. Comfort him._

Neried.

"Dausris. Come with me, Oceanbrother," She murmured. "I noticed it too."

The spiral sniffled and followed her, focusing his thoughts on hers, a calm pool in the hostile march around him. He could feel their eyes too, glaring at the one who had disturbed the peace of the temple.

When the two were safely alone in Neried's rooms, Dausris let his confession flood out of him.

"I'm a horrible dragon, Neried. I used my powers to support and aid Itura and I still use them for selfish reasons. I manipulated, manipulate dragons so they like me so they like our clan so they don't cast me out so I can try and belong I'm sorry I'm so sorry I want to change I want to get better and I don't know how..." he took a heaving breath, tears streaming from his wide blue eyes. Neried regarded him blankly, her expression hidden behind her veil, but her thoughts were full of pity and comfort.

"I came to confess to the Tidelord but he's abandoned me because I don't deserve redemption I twisted Iapetus to like me to think we're friends but I like him I do want to be friends with him but he deserves someone so much better than me!" Dausris sobbed.

Neried laid a gentle paw on his shoulder again.

"You may have done wrong in your past, but the fact that you can acknowledge that and are now trying to change means that there is hope for you, young one. Tidelord-som has not abandoned you. I do not sense his presence either, and I have sent messages to other oracles, and all have agreed that his presence has withdrawn from their pools and temples as well," Neried said calmly. "But I assure you, if you wish to change, I, for one, would be glad to help you."

Dausris couldn't find the words to thank her.


	11. Adress

Incindia caught herself shuffling her wings nervously, and grit her teeth in annoyance. She was supposed to be the clan leader. She couldn't stand up on the spire fidgeting like some nervous hatchling.

The young mirror closed her eyes for a moment and gathered herself. Perhaps she should have listened closer to Iapetus's advice. Her brother had grown a lot more sure of himself since he started taking lessons about being an ambassador from Dausris. At the very least, he could go to public events on his own without trying to hide away from everyone. And he knew some good things about putting on a good public face...

Oh, she should have listened better. What had he said? Imagine.... something? Imagine that the people you're speaking to are your friends? Your hatchling toys? She couldn't remember.

This was her first address since she'd become the leader. She couldn't get this nervous every time. What would Glacura do? What would Icarus do? What would Imeria do?

Glacura would stay calm, cool, and collected. She'd lift her head and puff out her chest and look down her snout at the... no no, that's what Itura would do.

Incindia couldn't be her mother. Or her brother. Or Glacura. Or Icarus. Or Imeria. She could only be herself.

She took a deep breath, and opened her eyes. The clan looked up expectantly at her, craining their necks to look up. That wouldn't do.

Imeria jumped down to a lower spike jutting from the spire, closer to her clanmates.

"Thank you for gathering here today. I have some news to announce that some of you may already know," Incindia said. "I was informed by our Priestess that the presence of the Tidelord has withdrawn from our temple. After getting in contact with other clans, it seems that we are not the only one he has forsaken. I do not know if this is an issue unique to the Ashfall Wastes alone, or if he has withdrawn from all flights, including his own. However, we will proceed as normal with the Wavecrest Saturnalia celebrations. Perhaps the holiday will persuade him to return to us."


	12. Blessing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I finally hatched my dream dragon 3 months ago, when this was written, so that's the context of this.

Chimera knew something was special as soon as the nest hatched. Three unremarkable hatchlings, orange and purple, except...

The fae girl. There was something special about her. Her eyes were wide, knowing, as if she'd been here before. Chimera tried to coax the newly hatched dragon from the nest of lava, but she wouldn't. And, because Chimera was no fire dragon, she couldn't reach in the pull the hatchling out.

So she left the hatchling in the lava.

 

Nadia came down with Chimera's dinner.

"Oh, they hatched today! What sweeties!" Nadia cooed down at the hatchlings.

"Yes. No doubt those two will be going to join their siblings with the Flamecaller," Chimera said. "They'll serve their flight and god well."

Nadia nodded, then turned her gaze to the hatchling that still sat in the nest.

"What's with her?"

Chimera turned her great head to look down at the hatchling, who was floating in the lava of the nest, pleased as could be.

"I think she's just taking her time. Perhaps she is absorbing what little magic remains in the nest. Faes do tend to be like that. It's not the first time I've had a hatchling do this, but never for this long," Chimera said.

Nadia blinked sagely at the imperial.

"She'll climb out in due time. I think she may just be playing. I could bring down some treats if you'd like to try and coax her out," Nadia said.

Chimera shook her head.

"No. Like you said, she'll climb out in due time. I'm just a bit worried about keeping an eye on the others and her at the same time," Chimera said.

Said other hatchlings were attempting to climb up onto Nadia.

"I can stay down here and help, if you'd like. I'm done cooking for the day," Nadia offered.

Chimera gave the snapper a slight smile.

"Thank you. I would appreciate that,"

 

True to her word, Nadia spent the night down in the nests with Chimera, helping entertain the new hatchlings. The one in the nest never left, but was just as vocal as the other hatchlings, chirping and burbling contentedly, and listening with an enraptured expression when Nadia or Chimera told stories.

Eventually, Chimera fell asleep with her body coiled around the outside of the nest, the two other hatchlings nestled on her large wings.

When Chimera woke, she was started to find that the hatchling in the nest was not the same as it was the previous day. Where once a fae had been, a coatl was.

Chimera sniffed at the coatl curiously. She smelled the same as the fae, and had the same colors, but her genes had changed.

 

"She's been blessed by the the Flamecaller! All the tributes her parents have sent have turned Her firey gaze to their family, and She has rewarded them with a blessed daughter!" Nadia exclaimed when Chimera explained the situation to the snapper. "Perhaps the Tidelord has abandoned us, but our Firey Mother still cares and watches over us. It's a sign! You should go up to the temple and talk to Neried."

Chimera nodded slowly.

"Once the parents come to retrieve their hatchlings. I suppose I'll have to explain why one of their daughters ended up a coatl. That'll be something," She said finally.

Nadia laughed uproariously, and Chimera couldn't help but join in. Perhaps the blessed hatchling really was a sign. A sign of a new, better age coming to the clan. An age approved by the reigning god of their land.


	13. Leap of Faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hatchling shenanigans

"Come on!" The hatchling called playfully, looking back at the three other hatchlings following her. "Chimera's only going to be gone for so long, don't you want to explore?"

"I... I don't think this is a good idea..." The other wildclaw hatchling mumbled as he followed his sister. "Chimera says we need to stay in the nursery for a reason. We're too small to be out and about with the rest of the clan. Especially those two."

He flicked his tail at the mirror and the coatl hatchlings toddling after the two wildclaws.

"Come on, they'll be fine! Little Miss Loved-by-the-Flamecaller spent enough time in the nest to breathe fire if she wanted to. And Chimera said that mirrors can run around as soon as they're born. I wanna play a game somewhere cool!" Red chirped, glancing over her shoulder at her brother.

The group of hatchlings scampered up into the main lair, and eventually ended up in the main gathering chamber.

Ten wide, orange eyes stared up the spire.

"Wow! It's so big!" Grey gasped.

"I wonder what's at the top?" Red mused.

With an adventurous squeak, the mirror hatchling attempted to scramble up to the lowest spikes jutting from the spire, but didn't manage it. Sides heaving, he slid back down to the floor.

"Well you'd never make it up that way," Red said, and attempted the climb herself. What was an easy jump for adult dragons was a scrambling, clumsy ordeal for the little wildclaw.

"Haha! Look! I'm so big now!" She crowed.

Grey whined, but couldn't scramble up after her. Red climbed up to the next ledge.

"Maybe I'll be able to fly if I get high enough!" She declared.

"No! Red, that's dangerous!" Grey exclaimed. "Chimera said-"

"What Chimera doesn't know won't hurt her. You're not gonna tattle on me, are you?" Red called. She had made it to the third ledge. "I'm going to climb up to the top and then I'm going to fly!"

"Chimera said we can't fly until we're half a cycle old!" Grey protested. "We're not even a quarter cycle!"

~~~

When Chimera returned to the nests to find no hatchlings, it was hard not to fly into a blind panic. Where had the hatchlings gone? She'd gone up during breakfast to talk to Neried about the blessed hatchling and then when she'd returned...

They weren't hiding. Chimera checked every single hiding spot, called for the hatchlings to come out, and never got a reply. They simply weren't in the nursery.

Which meant they could be anywhere.

She hurried back up into the lair, and, thank the Flamecaller, checked the gathering hall first, where she found three of the hatchlings milling around at the base of the spire.

"Where's Red?" Chimera asked, and all three hatchlings pointed up the spire where, yes, the little red and white wildclaw was climbing.

"Red!" Chimera called, and the little wildclaw glanced over her shoulder, and then smiled at her caretaker. The nerve!

"Red get down here this instant!" Chimera ordered, struggling to keep the tremble from her voice. How long had she been climbing? She was out of Chimera's reach, even if the imperial stood up on her hind legs. How had this happened?

"No! I'm gonna climb to the top!" Red said stubbornly.

"Red, please, it's not safe." Chimera begged.

The wildclaw paused in her climbing.

"If I fly will you catch me?" Red said.

"Fl- Of course. Of course I will," Chimera said, feeling the cold thrill of fear in her heart.

And apparently, that was all the confirmation the hatchling needed. She jumped off the wall of the spire, twisting in midair like a cat, and spreading her wings.

Chimera lunged forwards and caught Red, clutching the hatchling to her chest.

"Please don't do something like that ever again," Chimera said, but Red only laughed.


	14. Reborn

"Uh. Um. No, thank you. I would, however like a pot of the number 12, please. And I brought my own teapot if you could brew it in there please? I need this pot to go," Dausris said when the owner of the teashop asked if he would be getting his usual order. At the spiral's response, the owner blinked owlishly at the spiral presenting his own tea pot.

"Well. We don't usually brew to-go tea..." The owner began, but Dausris cut them off.

"Please? It's for... for a friend. They've been quite sick recently, and I feel it would do them well to have a pot of their favorite tea. I could never manage to brew a proper pot on my own. I'll pay you twice as much?" Dausris begged, and the owner relented with a sigh, accepting the teapot from the spiral, who looked so relieved that he might collapsed.

 

Thus armed with the final item he needed, Dausris hurried back down into the main lair. He knew that Incindia liked to have lunch with her brother every three days, and he knew where the two ate. He knew Iapetus's favorite snacks, favorite tea, favorite foods, and also, favorite trinkets.

The tea was the last thing Dausris needed to make his proper apology. When the two mirrors came to have their lunch on the little terrace, Dausris would be there, the table would be set, and he could confess all the horrible things he'd done, and apologize for each one.

With shaking claws, he poured the tea into the two teacups he had set on the table. Perfect. It had to be perfect-

He was shaken from his thoughts of perfection by the approach of voices. Incindia and Iapetus. Nearly dropping the teapot, Dausris leaped back from the table, before lunging back to set the teapot down. What would the two of them say when he told them how he had used and manipulated them? He pulled anxiously on his ears before settling, at least as best he could, into his diplomat persona.

"-said that the hatchling had been blessed! Then next thing I knew- oh."

Incindia stopped in her tracks when she saw Dausris sitting behind the set table. Beside her, Iapetus's expression was unreadable. But his mind went _surprise, anger, suspicion_. A fair reaction.

Dausris cleared his throat, then gestured at the table.

"A g-gesture of goodwill. I am afraid that I have deceived you two," Dausris began, cursing mentally at the shake in his voice. "You see. When I originally accepted your offer, Incindia-soren, I planned to use it for selfish means. To manipulate your brother to trust me and b-befriend me so that I could keep my position as ambassador. I sincerely apologize!"

Then, Dausris flattened himself on the ground before the two stunned mirrors.

"I was wrong! I have done so many wrong and evil things in my life and you don't have to forgive me because I do not deserve forgiveness! I am so sorry for altering your thoughts, Iapetus, it was only once I discovered that I found myself becoming fond of you that I realized the error in my ways. I do not deserve your friendship, as you are a dragon far superior to me! I do not deserve to be an ambassador, as I would be a poor representative of this clan!" He cried.

He could feel the anger and hurt and betrayal and confusion radiating from the two, but especially Iapetus.

After a long moment, Iapetus spoke.

"Get up."

Dausris complied, and prayed to the eleven that the unspilled tears gathering in his eyes would not fall.

"I'm glad you were honest. However, I'm not sure how I feel about you anymore. I... I thought we were friends, and then you just... left me alone. And now I learn that you had been altering how I thought of you the whole time?"

Dausris almost opened his mouth to protest, that it had only been in the beginning, but he thought better of it. Iapetus deserved this chance to talk.

The young mirror was frowning at him.

"If you truly are fond of me, if you want to redeem yourself, then let's start over."

What?

Dausris stared at Iapetus, and so did Incindia.

"Are you- are you sure?" Dausris said.

Iapetus nodded.

"You were my first friend. I... I think, after everything this clan has gone through, you deserve a second chance. I still have more to learn from you," Iapetus said.

"Iapetus! At least think it over! He could still be manipulating you!" Incindia hissed.

"I swear, on each of the eleven, I will never use my powers to manipulate either of you again," Dausris said. "I... I will never use my powers to manipulate anyone! Ever again! I'll be a new dragon. I promise I won't let you down."

Iapetus smiled.

"Then, let's start over. I'm Iapetus, it's nice to meet you,"

The mirror nodded his head respectfully to Dausris.

"It's nice to meet you too. I'm Dausris."


End file.
